The Blade of Arandus Clip:
The Story of Mokur & Imak
“My head is killing me,” Garu croaked from the corner. He sat up slowly, and rubbed his forehead. “How are you two not miserable?”
“You’re overthinking, half-elf,” Vojamarsi’s smooth voice floated across the wagon. Luwyn didn’t notice him at first, but there he was, perched upon the seat of the wagon. His back was to them, but his head was turned halfway around, smirking. “Relax. You’re extremely uptight.”
Garu huffed and rolled his eyes. “I’ll relax when we’re on the ground.”
Luwyn blinked. “What do you mean?”
Garu didn’t look at Luwyn, he just pointed down. Luwyn peaked over the edge of the wagon, and saw anything but blue sky underneath them. He panicked gain. He turned back, clenching the sides.
“Why are we so high up?” Luwyn asked, panic shaking his voice.
Vojamarsi shrugged. “The only way to travel this fast is this high up. This wagon moves faster than any vessel in the world. Also...you do know that the Oru’kai is an ancient forest with many, many precautions to not be found?” Vojamarsi asked, an eyebrow raised. “And that it’s guardian, Jorr, can sense when trespassers are even looking for Oru’kai, much less on their way? Do you want to get to Oru’kai in fewer than two decades? Because that was your trajectory. Not to say you’ll survive your visit.”
Garu sunk into the wagon, a sour scowl on his face.
“Wait,” Luwyn said. “Jorr knows were coming?”
Vojamarsi chuckled and nodded. “Well, you know what they say...”
Luwyn shook his head and waited for a response. Vojamarsi leaned back and said nothing. Luwyn looked to Fila and she shrugged.
“Lighten up, Garu,” Fila chimed. “We’re on our way, making incredible time, with a lovely host. And all we have to pay him is a story.”
“Just because you’re flirting with the god of voyages doesn’t mean ours will be any smoother.”
Fila stuck her tongue out at Garu.
Vojamarsi chuckled and looked back at the trio. “You lot are funny,” he said. “Speaking of stories…”
Fila hopped up and clapped. “Yes! Everyone pay attention. This is the story of how Mokur, God of the Sea, met his queen, Imak.” She cleared her throat.
“Long ago, when the waves were young, Mokur Azsar, the Great Seaking, ruled over all the waters of the world. Son of the sea and sky, Az and Ky, Mokur was a spectacle. His blue-black tresses flowed down his back, his skin blue-green like seafoam. He was charged with the protection of the creatures of the deep, sailors and islands. But he was a lonely god, sitting on his throne alone, deep in his beautiful coral palace.”
“Wonderful! My grandfather in all of his glory,” Vojamarsi called out in dry tone.
“Anyway,” Fila continued after a quick glare at Vojamarsi. “One morning, Mokur set out on a routine patrol his kingdom. He woke up early that day, urged by something to search his waters. He spent the entire day patrolling, from to the shallows and beaches to the deepest pits of the ocean.
Mokur ventured to an uninhabited corner of the ocean, when a faint whine echoed through the water. It was pained, and Mokur’s heart began to ache when he heard it. He could smell fear and blood. Mokur followed the trails until he found a dolphin floating in the dark, murky waters. Mokur swam to the creature, and saw the wound in its side and blood streaming out.
A league away, a pair of hungry sea dragons, eels really, eyed the wounded beast. They wanted that kill, and wouldn’t let the Sea King get in their way. They thrashed their teeth at Mokur, a challenge to the god of the waves.
Mokur raised his mighty brow at the beasts and grinned. Soft spoken as always, Mokur swam forward without saying a word, and stared down the sea dragons. Her raised his mighty hands and brought them together. The sound of the clap was faint in the deep, only a muffled thump, but it sent a long, thin, horizontal current of water surfing silently toward the sea drakes.
The dragons snickered and sneered at Mokur. “With that, Azsar?” they mocked. “You will be us with a mere ripple?”
Mokur said nothing. He only grinned and chuckled quietly as he turned away, and swam back to the dolphin’s side.
The current sailed through the water, and the dragons swam to meet it. They rushed closer and closer together, until the current was inches from them. They puffed out their scaley chests to laugh again, when the current sailed through them, and left a red line on their chests.
The dragons did not laugh. They were silent for a moment. Then their bodies split into two pieces each. Their blood spread through the water.
Mokur grinned again, and turned his attention to the dolphin. He laid his hand upon the beast. ‘Be still now, child. I will heal you.’ And he did just that. Mokur pressed his hand onto the dolphin’s wound. It winced back. Mokur then gave the creature a portion of his power, the very thing that made him a god. The dolphin squirmed in his arms, then went still. The wound closed underneath Mokur’s palm.”
Fila leaned in, her eyes wide. “Then something amazing happened; the dolphin began to glow with a bright light that filled the depths. The light flickered out and Mokur uncovered his eyes to see the beautiful figure of a woman, complete with the marvous, colorful tail and fin. Her skin and eyes were pale blue, and her indigo hair rippled around her body.
‘Hello, Azsar,’ she whispered. Mokur floated in the water, his mouth agape. He was captivated by her beauty.
She swam toward Mokur, and held her delicate hands out for his. ‘You saved my life. Not only that,’ she said, grasped his large hands. ‘but, you have also given me a piece of your life. Life everlasting...will I need a new name, my king?’
Mokur shook his head. ‘Whatever you wish to be called, I would sing it from the deepest pits of the ocean, so that the monsters of the Void could hear me,’ he whispered.
‘I had a name...in my former life. Imak…’ she said.
Mokur nodded and spun her around. ‘And Imak you shall be!” the great god of the sea bellowed.
Mokur hoisted Imak in his arms, and took her back to his coral palace, and married Imak in front of every creature of the sea. Quiet Mokur has never been jollyer since meeting his bride.
Fila turned and grinned at Vojamarsi. The god of travelers nodded back from the front of the wagon and waved lazily.
“Beautiful,” he said. “Truly. My maternal grandparents’ story is a lovely, lovely tale. Did you know how my paternal grandparents story? The living black pit above us birthed the sky and the earth, and they popped out my father, Sofos. Romantic!” Vojamarsi chuckled and slapped his knee.
Fila shot a confused look at Luwyn. Luwyn only shrugged and grinned.
Garu clapped slowly. “Terrific story, Fila. Quite long. I did enjoy Vojamarsi’s quick tale, however, it was so wonderfully brief.”
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